National League of Cities Responds to the State of the Union

The following statement is from Marie Lopez Rogers, president of the National League of Cities (NLC) and mayor of Avondale, AZ in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“I was honored and thrilled to be in the House chamber tonight watching President Obama’s State of the Union address with the First Lady, and I want to thank them for the opportunity. I also want to thank the President for focusing his address on federal action to help cities address key issues they are facing: the economy, jobs and immigration. I wholeheartedly agree with President Obama when he said stronger families make stronger communities which makes a stronger America, which we strive for everyday in our cities.

“Many of our cities still face stubborn unemployment and fragile economic growth. For those reasons, we support the President’s commitment to making urgently needed investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, housing and education that will help build a foundation for future growth for years to come.

“Fixing a broken immigration system is a priority for the President and for the NLC. Now is the time for Congress to act and send the President a bill to sign.

“We urge Congress to quickly take up these efforts to help cities and our families. These are pressing issues that have been put off for far too long. As the President asserted throughout his speech, stronger communities equal a stronger America. We look forward to working with our Congressional members on behalf of the constituents we collectively serve as we invest in our future.”

The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.